To Illuminate the Shadows
by fylith
Summary: When she heard that he gave into the shadows when Frosch had died, she had made a promise to herself to help prevent that fate for present Rogue. As the nightmare started to fade, his last words rang over and over "In one year remind me to protect Frosch … in a year's time …"
1. Chapter 1

**AN: this is a repost of this chapter. I had removed it not knowing if I was going to write the story. I decided to continue the story so re-posting this chap. second chap coming right away. chap 23 of AnD will be out this week some time. I am on summer break now so I will hopefully be writing long as I can keep myself mentally happy hehe.  
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**well hopefully you guys like this ROLU...**

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To Illuminate the Shadows

Chapter 1

Lucy bolted upright in bed as a scream ripped from her throat and reverberated around her small room. She sat there panting and clutching her blankets to her chest as the nightmare replayed in her terror filled mind. Lucy had not noticed the golden glow that filled her room, or her spirit, until she felt the warm arms that wrapped around her trembling shoulders. She stiffened for a moment, her mind still swirling with fear, before she smelled the familiar smell of sun dried grass and spice. The soothing smell along with the warm arms around her calmed her and she relaxed into the embrace.

After a while, her body stopped shivering and though the nightmare was fresh in her mind, she was able to pull away from the soothing embrace. Lucy looked over to the man who sat next to her and tried to give him a smile that said she was all right now. She had failed in the charade, his frown deepened and the green eyes behind his lightly tented shades expressed his worry.

She opened her mouth to say something but was cut short as the ginger haired man raised his hand and stood up gracefully from the bed. He gave her a soft smile before he said, "Princess, I am going to get you a glass of water." He started to walk toward her kitchen and then said over his shoulder, "Then we will discuss what just happened."

Lucy slowly nodded and watched halfheartedly as he walked to the kitchen and filled a glass of water for her. The glass being pressed in her hand broke her out of stupor. Lucy smiled weakly at her glass as she took small sips. Loke let out a soft breath as he sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her. His brows had drawn down slightly and a small frown pulled at his lips. It had been two months since his Princess had been so upset that she called to him in her sleep. He took a steady breath and after he had slowly released it he said softly, "Lucy, I thought we already got you through this issue about _him_."

Lucy looked up at her loyal lion spirit; her eyebrows were lowered in confusion. _What was he talking about? _Then it slowly dawned on her that Loke had misunderstood her distress…

_**Four months earlier…**_

_Lucy had walked into the guild ready for a day of hanging around her favorite people. She opened the doors and was assaulted with rowdy cheers and calls of congratulations coming from the bar area. Once she got there, she saw what all of the ruckus was for and felt her heart clinch in pain. Surrounded by the whole guild was a pink haired boy with his arm around a small silver haired girl. Natsu had finally told the guild that he and Lisanna were not only dating but that she was his mate. The mate thing was not a shock to Lucy, because a month before they had all learned that dragon slayers picked mates when Gajeel took Levy for his. The shock was that Natsu chose Lisanna and not Lucy. Lucy was sure when she learned of the mating business that Natsu would soon come to realize Lucy was his. So this revelation ripped a hole in Lucy's heart when she found out that she was not Natsu's mate._

_For an entire month, Lucy avoided the new couple when at the guild and cried into Loke's chest almost every night. A month later Natsu kept bugging her to go on missions with team Natsu, but she could not get over the fact that Lisanna would be going as well. The heartache, though lessened, was still too painful. Two months after the announcement Lucy finally gave in and went on a mission with Team Natsu again. By the end of the two week mission, Lucy had become really good friends with Lisanna and had Natsu back as her best friend. The hole in her heart was still there, but she realized that it no longer ached for Natsu. For the last two months life may not have been the best, but it was back to fun and crazy. There were times when she felt her loneliness flare up. When that happened she would go to the guild and they would help distract her from the emptiness._

_**Back to present day…**_

Lucy let out a ragged breath and said softly, "I am over Natsu, Loke. I'm good friends with Lisanna now and my heart does not ache for him anymore."

"So why did you call out for me in your sleep?" Loke asked softly. His frown deepened as he watched Lucy withdraw into herself when he asked her the question. Lucy's eyes glazed over in fear, her breathing had become rapid and shallow, and she had drawn up her knees to her chest as she hugged them tightly and started to rock in her bed. Loke felt her terror in his chest from the bond they shared and smelled the fear that radiated from her. Lucy was lost in her nightmare and Loke knew he needed to break her out of it and fast. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly while he shouted her name. About a minute later, Lucy's eyes cleared and she sobbed loudly. Loke quickly crawled into bed with her and pulled her to his chest and held her tight.

In between her sobs Loke heard her say, "It has… been … six months … why … now?" Lucy looked up with tear filled eyes and asked in a whisper he barely heard, "Why have they returned now?" She had a white knuckled grip on his jacket. Loke's heart broke when he realized what had distressed his princess so much to call him in her sleep.

_**Ten months ago …**_

_It was just after they returned from the Grand Magic Games and the war with the dragons, when Lucy's nightmares began. Every night she would wake screaming in terror. There was not a time when she slept that Loke was not called to her side, usually with her screams still ringing in the room. Lucy would try to stay awake for days at a time, but when her exhausted body and mind finally collapsed—Loke swore that the nightmare were ten times worse._

_At the very beginning he knew he loved her with all his heart, and that he wanted her romantically. On the other hand, he also realized that was not how she would ever feel for him and was not what she needed from him. He resigned himself to his fate. He stopped his flirtatious teasing ways around her and became the big brother and confidant that she needed. During the months of terror, Loke remained by Lucy's side. The months it took for her nightmares to subside were very difficult. The only good thing that came of those months was that they had become extremely close. Their bond had become unbreakable. Even if he could not love her the way he wanted to, his life was fulfilled. The relationship of trust they had built completed him more than he imagined it could have._

_It took four months for the nightmares to leave her. In all that time not a single one of her nightmares lingered in her mind in any detail, it just left her with the terror from the dream when she woke._

_**Back to present day…**_

Loke felt his chest tighten at Lucy's terror filled whisper. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled it tight to his chest. A moment later he was rocking her softly, petting her hair, and murmuring soothing nothings onto the top of her head. Lucy's sobs slowly quieted and she slumped in his arms. Loke stopped his rocking and relaxed against the wall, he continued to stroke Lucy's hair as she slept in his arms. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he prayed that she would be able to sleep without another nightmare.

But neither of them was that lucky…

_**Lucy's nightmare …**_

"Protect … the future …" Future Lucy whispered with her last breath in Lucy's arms. The cries of her family rang through the castle's hallway. Lucy's chest ached in sorrow and heartbreak not only for the poor woman lifeless in her arms, but at the wracking sobs from those around her.

The things future Rogue said after that made her chest burn in anger. There was no way she would close those gates if it harmed her world's future!

"Lucy! Get out of here!" Natsu's shout rocked her world and her heart broke more when Loke pulled her away from Natsu as he stood in rage and faced down future Rogue. They ran down the halls away from the fighting mages.

_The world swirled and changed locations …_

Lucy now was standing before the slowly opening gates. The realization came to her as Crux's information filled her mind. The gate was linked to the time of the dragons! Terror filled her mind and nearly choked her throat. Finally she was able to croak out, "THE DOOR MUST BE CLOSED! THIS INSTANT!"

Everyone around her looked at her like she lost her mind. The terror took a hold of her heart and she shouted once again, "YOU MUSTN'T LET THE DOORS OPEN FULLY!" But it was too late; the first dragon had already stepped through the gate. Lucy's body started to tremble violently; she needed to close the gate now!

She finally reached the mechanism to close the gate and grabbed the handle … but nothing happened … Lucy's heart dropped to her feet, she was not strong enough to close the gate! As each new dragon stepped through the gate she was thrown from the device. Each time she struggled back and tried once more in vain to shut the gate. Still nothing … Lucy's whole body ached from the pain of failing everyone.

Lucy's heart soared with hope when she heard Yukino shout, "… LET'S COMBINE OUR KEYS … USE ALL TWELVE KEYS TO CLOSE THE GATES!"

A wave of relief washed over Lucy as she watched the zodiac's force the gate closed on the dragons that had been trying to breach the gate. That relief was short lived …

_Once again the nightmare swirled and changed locations …_

Natsu had just destroyed the gates; the dragons were fading from this time line. Lucy watched as Natsu conversed with the fading future Rogue. Lucy's heart ached when she heard the loneliness and hopelessness in the future Rogue's voice when he talked about the shadows that always haunted him. When she heard that he gave into the shadows when Frosch had died, she had made a promise to herself to help prevent that fate for present Rogue. As the nightmare started to fade, his last words rang over and over "In one year remind me to protect Frosch … in a year's time …"

_**Back to the waking world …**_

Lucy's sat up and ripped herself out of Loke's startled embrace. Gasping she sat there sweat sliding down her spine sending more shivers through her body. Finally catching her breath, she looked back at her startled Lion spirit. Lucy locked her eyes on his and said in a strangled whisper, "Loke we need to find Rogue!"

She watched as Loke's brows furrowed in confusion, but she did not give him time to argue as she jumped out of bed and started packing her backpack for the journey to Sabertooth's guildhall …


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: so here is the second chapter. I got the names of the Canes Venatici constellation from Google search of the 88 constellations. also the names of the hounds are the names of the two stars in that constellation. I hope you enjoy this installment.**

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Previously

_"Loke we need to find Rogue!" She watched as Loke's brows furrowed in confusion. She did not give him time to argue as she jumped out of bed and started packing her backpack for the journey to Sabertooth's guildhall …_

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Chapter 2

"Maybe we should have done some research before running off half cocked, hmm _Princess?_" Loke said with a smile as he stepped up next to Lucy's side. Lucy groaned next to the Lion Spirit, which caused Loke to chuckle softly. The two of them had been wandering around for several days now without _a clue_ as to where Sabertooth's guild hall was located. Lucy had been sure that a famous guild like Sabertooth would have been well known and a nearby town would be able to steer them in the right direction; however, life was not that simple.

They were almost to the third town on their way to _nowhere _and still not one person could tell them the location of Sabertooth's Guild. Sure everyone knew _who_ they were, after all it **is** Sabertooth. Everyone Lucy asked knew of the infamous guild, but not a single person knew where they were.

"Come on Loke, how was I supposed to know..." Lucy whined to her ginger haired friend that walked next to her, kicking a stone off the dirt path they shared.

Loke grinned and turned to face Lucy as he walked backwards; the Leader of the Zodiac wanted to look at his beautiful Master while they conversed."So, I understand that we need to find Rogue and all, but why can't we stop and go back to the guild to see if we can plan this out better?" Loke asked, watching as Lucy carefully pondered his inquiry.

Lucy's eyes closed for a moment as she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. A shiver racked her body for a moment at the thought of giving up so quickly. Lucy then opened her eyes slowly and saw that Loke's smile had now turned into a deep frown as their eyes locked onto each other's.

Loke felt like he had been stabbed in the chest as he gazed into Lucy's worried chocolate eyes. Her beautiful eyes were filled with so much sadness and pain. Loke opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly when he saw the sadness and pain in Lucy's eyes turn into determination. He smiled softly because he loved it when she looked like that; it made her even more beautiful.

"I am not sure how to explain it Loke…none of my other nightmares remained in any detail the next day, until the more recent ones. I don't remember every part of this new nightmare either, but I do remember the last part clearly—very clearly," Lucy said as she let out a ragged breath before she continued, "Every night since I had this dream, it has been the same one with the same details that are now burned into my mind."

Lucy scratched the back of her neck and tried to wipe away the urgent feeling that began to rise up in her. Lucy looked up at her friend and said sadly, "His eyes Loke…every night I see his eyes just before he fades. His eyes are not filled with the hatred and madness, but rather they look as though he were himself again—like he had been before he had lost himself into the darkness. His eyes held so much loneliness and hopelessness. Something in me wanted to help him. Then he would talk about how he always had to fight off the shadows that tried to consume him. Something about his eyes and words makes me feel like I can't even breath Loke - and my heart aches at the memory."

Tears now ran freely down Lucy's cheeks and Loke stopped to wrap her in his arms and held her in a tight embrace. He softly kissed the top of her head and whispered in her hair, "It's okay Lucy, shh don't cry. I'm here, everything will be fine. We will figure it out Princess. It's over now, shh everything will work out"

After a few minutes and after Loke's reassurances, Lucy's sobbing subsided. While still wrapped in Loke's arms, she said softly, "Rogue also said in my dream that when Frosch died, he finally gave into the shadow's desire. It broke my heart, because he lost himself. He lost himself because he lost someone so dear to him. I **need** to keep him from this fate Loke, every part of my soul screams to me that I must save him. It is urging me to hurry, like there's not much time..."

Loke's heart broke for his poor Princess. He hated that she was being pulled into something. Something possibly very dangerous and that he could do nothing to change her mind about. He sighed loudly before he released his embrace. The Lion Spirit put his fingers under her chin to force her to look at him and replied seriously, "Ok Lucy. If we must do this and we cannot take time to plan this out more then let's head to Crocus. They should have records of the guilds that participated in the GMG. Maybe we can coerce Princess Fiore into telling us where Sabertooth is located."

Lucy's face brightened and she smiled her heart stopping Lucy smile at him. Loke hummed to himself happily as he turned around and started to briskly walk towards the nearest town. The Zodiac Leader said over his shoulder to the Celestial mage, "There should be a train to Crocus in the next town," then he said under his breath so that Lucy couldn't hear, "At least I hope there is..."

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When they finally reached the town of Larkspur, their hopes were dashed. They realized that the small town did not have a train station. However, in their walk through the town, Lucy noticed a small magic shop. She did not have any hopes of them having any keys, but she had told herself long ago that she would look in every shop she crossed just in case.

Lucy quickly told Loke that she wanted to check inside the shop and the Lion Spirit said that he would wait for her outside. After Lucy entered, she walked up to the clerk and asked softly while her eyes roamed the quaint little shop, "Sir, would you happen to have any celestial keys for sale?"

"Oh my, are you a Celestial Wizard child?" the elderly man asked her with a warm smile.

Lucy could not help the smile that crossed her face as she nodded to him and replied, "Yes I am sir."

"Oh how wonderful! We don't get mages out her much, but to have a Celestial Wizard in my store..." he shook his head in wonderment before he continued, "I haven't had one of you in my shop for many, many years. I was afraid that your type of magic had been lost." The little old shopkeeper smiled a huge smile at Lucy as he set a dusty box down on top of the counter. Through the dust Lucy could see a beautiful engraving of two hunting dog chasing something though a forest carved into the wood of the box.

Lucy's eyes grew big and she looked up at the elderly clerk with hope in her eyes. Lucy reached out and opened the lid of the little box and let out a gasp of joy. Inside the box on velvet cloth was a silver key. "Oh my!" Lucy exclaimed, "It is the key for Canes Venatici!" Lucy was so excited that she did not even try to haggle the price down lower; she just paid it happily before she rushed out to show Loke.

Loke smiled at Lucy's radiant face as she talked excitedly about the new friends that they would add to their family. It had been a while since he had seen her so happy and he was relieved to see a little of the 'Old Lucy' back.

"Hey Lucy, why don't you go make a contract with them while I go back to the guild," Loke said which made Lucy look up at him in confusion. Loke quickly cleared up his Master's confusion, "We, or more importantly you, have been away from the guild for almost a week now. The whole guild will be worried about where you are and for your safety. I'm going to go back and let Master Makarov know what's going on and that you are fine."

Lucy just nodded her head slightly in approval. It was a good thing Loke was here or she would have forgotten to let the guild know where she was. Normally Lucy would never run off without telling her friends where she was going, but the dreams she had been having had almost completely overridden her sense of judgment.

After Loke left, Lucy walked away from the small town with her new key cradled lovingly in her hand. Soon she was far enough from town and called out to Canes Venatici excitedly.

Two elegant hounds bounded from the golden gates that had appeared after Lucy's summons. They danced and hopped around Lucy while barking excitedly. Lucy laughed at their antics for a while, soon however they calmed down and stood before her. They were gorgeous creatures; both were well-muscled, lean, and their shoulders came up to the height of Lucy's hands. The more muscular male was a silvery gray in color with eyes as blue as a clear sky. The female who was smaller and muscled lighter than her partner, was a golden rust color with eyes that were a bright and amazing gold.

She petted their heads as she smiled brightly at them. They panted happily as they enjoyed their new master's attention. "You two are gorgeous!" Lucy said cheerfully. Would you be willing to make a contract with me?" She asked them then smiled her warm friendly smile. The hounds barked happily and jumped up and down, agreeing to create a contract. "What are you names and when are you available?" Lucy asked her new friends with a large smile.

"I am known as Asterion, My Alpha." a very masculine voice rang in Lucy's head as the gray hound lowered his head in loyalty, "This is my mate Chara, and we are available any time."

Lucy looked over to the rust colored hound as she dipped her head; Lucy heard a lilting female voice sing in her head, "My Alpha."

Lucy sighed and smiled at the two spirit hounds. "Please don't call me that. I am your friend not your Alpha.

Asterion tilted his head to the side slightly and looked at her for a moment in silence. He then glanced over at his mate and then back to Lucy. "But an Alpha is the leader of the pack and a friend to the whole. You are definitely our Alpha." Asterion grinned at her his tongue once again hanging out the side of his mouth. Lucy sighed and rubbed Chara's face with her hand. She was not quite sure how to take that but decided for now she would continue on and finish the contract creation.

"So what are your abilities?" Lucy asked.

"We know the scents of every living creature in this world, My Alpha." Asterion said in Lucy's head, He had his elegant gray furred head cocked to the side with his tongue hanging out, and was looking quite impressed with himself.

"All you need to do is call out its name and we can track it," Chara's female voice chimed in. Chara's elegant rust colored muzzle was slightly open as she panted softly in pride.

Lucy smiled back at the two hounds in front of her and reached out to pat Chara's head. "This is perfect!" Lucy said out loud to her new friends, "Now maybe we can find him! OK, I need you to help me track down Rogue Cheney, of Sabertooth."

Lucy's smile faded a bit when the two spirit hounds whined and looked at each other. When they turned back to her, their heads hung low in submission, and Asterion whimpered in Lucy's head, "We are sorry, My Alpha, but there is no such being." The two then shied away from Lucy as if they were going to be punished for their failure.

Lucy crouched down between the two and rested a hand on each hound's head. "It is okay, Asterion. Chara, you have not failed—just let me think a moment." she said and rubbed their heads gently while she thought of why they could not track Rogue.

_All I ever heard him called by was Rogue... _Lucy thought to herself. Then she jerked when a distant memory flooded her mind. _That is not true. Gajeel called him something different. What was it?_ Lucy pulled her hand off of Chara and brought it up to her chin as she tried to remember what Gajeel had called Rogue by. Natsu and Gajeel had been talking about Rogue in the guild hall a while back... the memory of the two sitting at a table talking about their fights with the twin dragon slayers came back to her clearly. _That's IT! Gajeel called him Ryos, not Rogue, on several occasions._

Lucy stood up again and smiled down at her new friends as she said, "OK, let's try this again. Asterion, Chara, I need you to track down Ryos Cheney, of Sabertooth."

Both sets of ears perked up at the name and Asterion lifted his gray muzzle to the air and barked happily. Chara whined as she caught the scent as well. The two hounds hopped up and down in excitement; they were ready for the chase!

Lucy chuckled softly then picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. "Ok guys, let's go! Lead the way!" she cheered to them.

The two bounded off immediately, but stopped quickly when they realized Lucy would not be able to follow at their pace. They slowed down and played tackle and leap frog as they lead their new master toward her destination...

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Lucy looked up at the glaring sun, she licked her severely chapped lips. It had only been a day and a half on the path towards the Sabertooth guild hall and she was feeling very thirsty and over heated. She looked down and kicked a rock along the dried and cracked ground. Natsu was always complaining about how she never brought the proper clothes for their mission but never before had it been such a issue as it seemed to be now. Her ankles were swollen from the many times she had tripped due to catching the heel of her boot in a crack in the parched ground. The cute short shorts and skirts, and tank tops she brought with her were exposing her skin to the scorching sun. By the end of the second day the lack of water and shade had her delusional. Her exposed skin was blistered, and she staggered badly as she walked.

The hounds had started taking turns going back to rest in the celestial realm and it was Chara's turn with their Alpha and she was greatly worried as Lucy stopped and stared up at the sun. Chara whimpered as she watched her master sway heavily. She rushed to her side and let Lucy lean on her heavily. Chara looked around and found an Acacia tree in the distance and started to lead her Alpha towards the relative shelter. Once she had Lucy resting against the tree trunk under the shade she reached out to her mate and relayed her worry about their alpha's condition.

Very soon there was a gold flash and Virgo stepped through the gate and knelt down next to the dazed Lucy. "Oh, Princess, look what you have done to yourself. Brother would be upset." she chided her master softly. Virgo lifted a flask of enchanted water to Lucy's lips and poured a small amount down her throat. She watched with a small smile as Lucy's cracked lips healed quickly and her master's eyes fluttered opened and looked at her. Lucy's eyes were filled with confusion and pain. Virgo pulled out a jar of cream and spread it generously over Lucy's blistered skin, Virgo smiled at the sigh of relief that escaped Lucy's lips. "You know Princess, If I told brother this happened he would take you straight back to the guild and punish you." she looked Lucy firmly in the eyes until Lucy looked away guiltily. Virgo smirked slightly "Here are some clothes that are much better suited to the traveling you are doing." she handed Lucy a tan cloak with a hood, and a baggy long sleeved shirt and baggy lightweight pants. She also gave her a mask to keep out the dust that could fill the lungs, and proper hiking boots. "The hounds said there are several more days of travel so I took the liberty of preparing a travel pack full of food and water as well princess."

Lucy smiled weakly at her friend and hugged her tightly. "Thanks so much Virgo." Virgo pulled back and Lucy could see a light blush on the maiden's cheeks as she went back to the celestial realm.

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**Sabertooth Guild Hall...**

**Rogue ~**

As Rogue walked up to Sting, who was sitting on the old Masters throne, He was completely lost in his thoughts. When Rogue stopped and stood next to his friend, he didn't even notice that Sting was eyeing him carefully because Rogue was too distracted trying to figure out why he had been feeling so restless lately. He had been having the unsettling feeling like something was coming, like the feeling that he was in a calm before a storm.

_The shadows have been more insistent lately, maybe that is what is bothering me. _They always begged him to grant them access to his powers, always telling Rogue that he would become all powerful.

Rogue did not want power; he wanted to live in peace with his friends. The shadows had become more insistent lately and that made Rogue glad that he had Frosch. Ever since Rogue's last fight with Gajeel during the GMG, Frosch had been able to sense Rogue's little 'attacks'. When the attacks happened, the little Exceed would rush to Rogue from wherever Frosch had been at the time and would crawl up onto Rogue's shoulders and pat his head. To Rogue's amazement it always calmed his mind and allowed him to easily deal with the shadows. However lately, even with his friends around him, Rogue felt restless and agitated.

Rogue sighed internally and made sure his mask of indifference was carefully placed on his facial features. It had become almost instinctual now because he had been doing it for so long; he needed to keep people from getting too close to him. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He thought to himself and as he thought about his unstable emotions, and the uneasy feelings he kept getting, he groaned silently in frustration.

Rogue looked over to Sting to see if his new guild master showed any signs of unease. It was always easy to read what was going on in his friend's mind, because he never hid his emotions. As Rogue examined the new guild master, he could tell Sting was not having the same irrational feelings. The man in question was laughing heartily at a brawl that some of the new members had started. Rogue blocked out the irritable feelings in his own mind as he looked around at the slowly growing guild. A slight smile touched the corner of his lips; Rogue was so proud of his guild's new outlook on their members. Since Sting took over as guild master, he tried really hard to imitate Fairy Tail's attitude of building family bonds with guild members. Slowly the word had gotten around to lone mages that Sabertooth had turned over a new leaf. This new influx of mages had helped in the growth of their new 'family.' Even though he did not show it, this made Rogue happy. He was finally starting to get the family he had wanted for so long.

Rogue realized that several of their original members were missing today as his eyes wandered the guild hall. He soon discovered Yuknio had just recently left for a mission that promised to be simple but would reward her with a silver Celestial Key. He was so happy they were able to get her to rejoin the guild after their last guild master had disgraced her.

Suddenly the guild doors flew open; Rogue looked down when he felt a small paw grab his pants. The entire guild stopped what they were doing and a heavy silence descended upon the guild. Frosch was hiding behind Rogue's leg shivering slightly as he looked at the guild doors. Rogue smiled at his friend in reassurance and got a small timid smile in return. Rogue looked toward the guild doors as Sting stood, ready for a possible attack as a person slowly entered the guild hall.

The lone cloaked figure walked in and stood just inside the hall doors. Rogue examined the figure as it stood there. It was wearing a brown hooded cloak that was pulled up to cover the face. The figure held their head down, concealing their face from the guild. Dust drifted off the cloak in waves as the figure remained unmoving. The clothes the person wore were baggy and hid their entire body.

Once Rogue finished studying the cloaked figure, he noticed the two large hunting hounds that stood silently on each side of the person. Each of the person's hands rested lightly on a head of one large dog. The dog on the intruder's right was heavily muscled and his, as it was obviously a male, short coat was a silvery gray. The dog on the person's left was lightly muscled, defiantly female, and her coat was a soft rust color. _Beautiful animals._ Rogue thought to himself. Rogue's assessment of the figure had only taken a moment or two. Then Rogue saw the male dog lift his nose to the air and pointedly turn his head towards himself. The highly intelligent eyes that locked onto Rogue startled him, but something else ripped Rogue's attention away from the dog's intense gaze. Just as the doors swung shut behind the figure, a strong breeze blew in behind and carried the figure's scent towards the two Dragon Slayers.

The strong wind brought with it the heavy scent of dust, but under that Rogue smelled Her scent. Under the dust, he caught the light scent of honey, apples, and … Rogue's nose twitched slightly as he caught the last of her scent … cinnamon. She smelled of apples, honey and cinnamon. The scent seemed very familiar to Rogue, but at first he could not place the semi-familiar smell.

He watched in apprehension as the male hound started to head towards him; he inhaled deeply trying to place the familiar smell. The woman's hand slid from the head of the massive hound as he continued to walk into the hall. He watched in fascination as the delicate hand slid down the neck of the beast until it reached just between its shoulder blades and then she took a step towards Rogue. His heart skipped a beat and Rogue felt the beginnings of a memory stir in his mind as she continued to walk gracefully towards the Master's Throne. The figure stopped right in front of Sting and Rogue, though she stood a lot closer to Rogue than to Sting.

The massive gray hound looked at Rogue then back at his mistress and whined softly. Her head was still covered in the dust laden hood as she nodded softly and patted the dog's head. When the male dog looked at her, Rogue could swear that the dog had smiled at her and as dog's tongue hung out of the side of his mouth and he panted proudly. Rogue looked up slowly from the male hound because he felt the woman's stare. At once his red eyes locked onto hers as he felt his heart clinch with some unfamiliar feeling. With her hood up all Rogue could see was a fringe of golden blonde hair and the most stunning chocolate brown eyes he had ever seen. Those eyes looked so familiar to him_. _Rogue looked away from her, _She seems so familiar..._ he admitted to himself, then her damn scent wrapped around him again, and a memory he had fought to forget flooded his mind, the memory of Minerva holding up a young blonde woman high above the ground after torturing her over and over. The screams of the woman's guild members calling her name in horror and grief. The name they called over and over as they rushed to catch her falling body... _Lucy..._

**Lucy ~**

Lucy finally stood in front of the man she had been haunted by for ten months; of course she had only recently realized that her nightmares had been about Rogue. She remembered how he looked in the GMG and was taken aback slightly by his casual attire as he stood before her with a stiff posture. After Lucy and Rogue's eyes met, Lucy noticed that his face did not fill her with terror—even though this was the same face of the man that had terrorized her during the dragon war and in her dreams.

His raven black hair was semi-long and shaggy and it covered the entirety of his head instead of being half-long and white. However, the most significant difference was his eyes. His eyes told her that this was a different man. They were still that riveting red that made her heart speed up when he looked at her; however, her heart now sped up for an entirely different reason instead of terror. Instead of looking at her with hatred and madness, Rogue's ruby red eyes stared at her with confusion and something else that she could not put her finger on. Rogue's raven colored bangs covered one of his eyes and Lucy had the massive urge to reach up and brush them out of the way. Her hands twitched with this desire, so she clenched her fists together to stop herself. _Damn he is handsome when you get up close._She thought to herself wistfully.

She looked back to his eyes and noticed they seemed to be slightly unfocused like he was debating something internally and could not focus on the outside world. She was thankful for his inattention as a blush covered her cheeks from her previous thoughts. She took the opportunity to glance over the rest of the Shadow Dragon Slayer and frowned slightly. He was dressed in a more relaxed way than at the GMG, but much to her disappointment he gave her nothing to admire. All his clothes were baggy and did not display any of his physique.

**General ~**

Sting's voice brought them both back to reality, "And who might you be Miss...?" her scent was plaguing him but he could just not place it.

A brighter blush covered her cheeks because she realized what she had been doing. _Lucy! This is wrong; you are here to help this poor man not faun all over him!_ She berated herself internally. Lucy turned her hood covered head toward Sting. As he stared at her, Lucy suddenly grew nervous and she heard her spirit hounds whine softly as she felt them press against her legs in comfort. Lucy stroked their heads gently and then could not stop herself from glancing around the hall and noticed that all the eyes were focused on her.

Rogue suddenly snapped out of his memory of Lucy's torture at a former guild members hands and whispers, "Lucy..." Lucy's eyes snap in shock to look at the Shadow Dragon Slayer. "Lucy Heartfillia..."

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